ADEN (AFP, Reuters) – Yemeni fighters seized presidential palace in the key southern city of Aden Thursday, striking a heavy blow against Saudi-led coalition which has waged a week of air relentless air strikes to try to stem advances by the Iran-allied group.
The advance made by the Iran-backed fighters came as contingents of unidentified troops landed by sea in Aden in an apparent last-ditch effort by a Saudi-led coalition to shore up a foothold in the southern Yemeni port city.
The soldiers arrived in a single vessel a few hours after the Houthis and their supporters swept into the heart of Aden.
The southern port city has been the last major holdout of fighters loyal to the US and Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Hadi escaped to Saudi Arabia after fighters belonging to Ansarullah Movement also called Houthis swept across the country last month.
A witness told AFP that dozens of Ansarullah fighters and their allies arrived in armored vehicles and entered the palace.
Aden’s Maasheeq palace is a cluster of colonial-era villas perched atop a rocky hill that juts into the Arabian Sea. The palace was President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s last seat of power before he escaped.
A diplomat in Riyadh said Aden had come to symbolize Hadi’s fading authority, meaning that Saudi Arabia could not afford to allow it to fall completely under Houthi control. But he said Riyadh’s air campaign was so far geared more towards a slow war of attrition than an effective defense of the southern city.
“Saleh and the Houthis are keeping the pressure on Aden, which is the weak point in Saudi strategy,” he said. “I think the Saudis would put ground forces into Aden to recapture it if it falls. It is a red line for them.”
A Houthi spokesman said that the fighting in Aden showed that Saudi Arabia’s military intervention had failed.
“The victories in Aden today embarrass this campaign and silenced the aggressor states,” Mohammad Abdulsalam told the group’s al-Maseera television.
Houthi fighters, who took control of the capital Sanaa last September, continue making gains south of the country.
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